Speak more fluently and understand better!

Course content:
When it comes to pronunciation, the core concepts are placement, rhythmic contrast, intonation, and IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

In a joyful way, participants will learn the following:

IPA – the different sounds (vowels, consonants, and diphthongs). In English you don’t roll the R, there are two L sounds, the TH sound is quite challenging, and other sounds are made in the throat, but most people don’t know all this. There are 12 vowel sounds and there are only 5 in Italian, and if you are not aware of that, you will continue making the sounds you are familiar with, which are typical of your native language. There are 24 consonant sounds in English, would you know what those are? And, what are diphthongs?

Placement – where their voice should be coming from

Rhythmic contrast – what role stress plays within a word, a sentence, and therefore in the language (students will learn the music of the language). English is stress-timed. Some syllables are stressed and some syllables are unstressed within a word. Some content words (verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns) are usually stressed within a sentence. Function words are usually unstressed, and often even reduced! (you’re, your, do, you, gonna, gotta, wanna, etc.). It is this contrast (stress or unstressed syllables/words) that makes you sound a natural speaker and better understood. The same goes for formal contexts.

Intonation – how to intonate statements, questions and lists (how to keep your listener’s attention going)